Alumnus Has Drawn on Vietnam Combat Experiences to Shape His Priesthood

Of all the circumstances to have shaped his 47-year priesthood, the most enduring occurred years before St. John’s University alumnus Monsignor Charles Fink ’68C was even ordained.    

Msgr. Fink served as a combat infantryman in the United States Army, deployed to Vietnam during the height of hostilities in perhaps the most divisive war in American history. A front-lines veteran, he served for 21 months, returning home in March 1970, exactly three years before the US completed its exit from the Southeast Asian nation.  

The 50th anniversary of the 1973 US withdrawal is, for Msgr. Fink, a sobering reminder of the evils of war, but also a recognition of the value of combat brotherhood.

“My service in Vietnam changed me,” Msgr. Fink recalled. “It matured me and gave me a deeper understanding of human nature, of my own strengths and weaknesses, and those of others. It gave me a great feeling of appreciation and respect for men who serve in the military.”

“But I also remember my grandmother saying when I came home that I was not the same person,” Msgr. Fink continued. “Some of the kid had been knocked out of me, and I was probably a little more serious. I was more aware of the darker side of life.”

From the start of US involvement in 1965 through the fall of Saigon a decade later, the Catholic Church sent dozens of ordained clergy – priests, deacons, and sisters – to Vietnam to serve as chaplains, care for refugees, or manage orphanages. But few carried weapons.

Msgr. Fink, newly converted to Catholicism and yet to consider the priesthood, enlisted in the Army four weeks after graduating from St. John’s and soon found himself on the front lines with the 199th Infantry Brigade.

A sergeant, he served with distinction, earning a Purple Heart for wounds incurred during combat. He endured Vietnam’s torrential rains and slept on ground infested by rats, all the time wary of North Vietnamese sniper fire, land mines, and booby traps.

It was on one of his daily patrols that Msgr. Fink made praying the Rosary a ritual behavior. A half-century later, he remains dedicated to it. “I made one of those deals with God,” he recalled, “that if I got out of this in one piece, I would continue to pray the Rosary every day for the rest of my life. And that's a promise I've kept.”

Born into a religious Episcopalian family, Msgr. Fink converted to Catholicism while at St. John’s. Upon returning from Vietnam, he enrolled at The Catholic University of America for graduate studies. Recognizing then a call to the priesthood, he entered the seminary and was ordained in 1976.

Born in Oceanside, NY, he has served the entirety of his priesthood in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY. He is now retired and living in the rectory of Notre Dame Parish in New Hyde Park, NY. In reaction to postwar criticism of American soldiers, Msgr. Fink wrote the poem Bury Me With Soldiers that is frequently cited on Memorial Day and read at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.        

Among the 58,000 US fatalities in Vietnam was Msgr. Fink’s squad leader Sgt. Claude Van Andel, 19, who was killed by a landmine on May 27, 1969. Msgr. Fink had that day done a rare position switch with Sgt. Van Andel; had the soldiers maintained the status quo, Msgr. Fink likely would have died.

Sgt. Van Andel’s death was a defining moment in Msgr. Fink’s Vietnam experience, prompting him to consider the randomness of life, especially in wartime. He draws upon that experience every Memorial Day, reflecting on lessons he learned at St. John’s studying the work of theologian St. Thomas Aquinas.    

“That’s one of the great questions about life—is it just random?” Msgr. Fink said. “Or is there a reason that we may not grasp right now, but in the vision of God will be revealed to us?”

“I prefer to believe from my Thomastic philosophy that the world was created and that God providentially watches over creation,” Msgr. Fink continued. “I think it was Einstein who said, ‘God's ways are mysterious, but not malicious.’ I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if I didn't believe that.”

Vietnam presented challenges not experienced by prior generations of US soldiers. Wildfires, challenging terrain, and unanticipated logistical problems undermined US war objectives. The region’s complicated political environment made it difficult for American soldiers to discern between enemies and allies. 

Fueled by reports of combat atrocities, antiwar protests in the US, including at St. John’s, reached their zenith during Msgr. Fink’s time on the front lines. He returned to a nation seemingly splintering over the war.     

“It's still a source of great division,” he said. “Some soldiers were pretty bitter about the whole experience. But I also know that there are a lot of guys who were proud of their service and would do it again. And I would be kind of on the same page as those guys.”

Indeed, Msgr. Fink remains proud of his service and takes issue with those who suggest US involvement in Vietnam was unjust.

“I felt then and I still feel now that we had a legitimate interest there,” Msgr. Fink said. “We had been invited by the government, and it certainly was my experience that most of the Vietnamese people were not looking forward to living under communism.

“I'm in a minority when I say that the worst thing we did in the whole war was abandoning the people,” Msgr. Fink continued. “And by abandoning I mean not just the removal of troops, but not long thereafter, removing all financial support as well. Meanwhile, the other side is being armed by China and Russia. I still feel that our abandonment of those people was a greater act of immorality that us being there in the first place.”

Retired now, Msgr. Fink celebrates Mass several times a week at Notre Dame and nearby. He leads Memorial Day religious services and takes part in veterans’ parades. He also counsels veterans who believe his own Vietnam experience will make him more understanding of their issues.

Vietnam’s impact on Msgr. Fink’s priesthood has been more subtle than overt. He admits combat experience probably made him more empathetic to parishioners struggling with life’s challenges. 

“War is kind of life in its most intense form,” Msgr. Fink said. “It taught me a lot about how people cope in very stressful situations; how they might not rise to the occasion, and how other people who you wouldn't expect, do rise to the occasion. I know firsthand how difficult and challenging it can be to live in those sorts of circumstances and then be the person you're supposed to be.”